Seattle Mariners extend GM Jack Zduriencik’s contract

The Seattle Mariners on Tuesday announced a multiyear contract extension for general manager Jack Zduriencik, who had been on the hot seat until the M’s heretofore successful 2014 season.

“Since Jack took over after the 2008 season, we have been building toward our ultimate goal, which is to win the World Series,” Mariners President and COO Kevin Mather said in the team’s announcement. “We believe, with the efforts of Jack and his staff, we are now well-positioned as an organization to be a contender for many years to come.”

This season is the first under Zduriencik’s tenure that the Mariners have been in the postseason race. While Seattle finished over .500 in 2009, Zduriencik’s first season with the club, the M’s went into a four-season tailspin until things turned around in 2014.

It happened at just the right time for Zduriencik, who was extended for an additional year in August 2013 as his five-year contract neared expiration. Mariners management gave him one more season to prove himself as general manager; Tuesday’s extension announcement shows that Zduriencik has met his bosses’ expectations.

After former manager Eric Wedge opted to not re-sign with the club, Zduriencik brought in former Detroit Tigers hitting coach Lloyd McClendon, who has orchestrated Seattle’s surprising turnaround this year. Zduriencik also signed the biggest name in free-agency, second baseman Robinson Cano, to give the M’s a superstar player.

Not long after Seattle sent four representatives to July’s All-Star Game, Zduriencik made well-received deals at the MLB trade deadline to acquire center fielder Austin Jackson and utility player Chris Denorfia. Now, after going 71-91 in 2013, the Mariners are 71-59 (before Tuesday’s game against Texas) and currently hold the American League’s second wild-card slot.

If the M’s make it, it would be Seattle’s first trip to the postseason since 2001.

The terms of Zduriencik’s new contract extension were not disclosed. We will add more information as it comes in.